Connectivity and networking solutions specialist D-Link announced it is making a suite of tools, resources and evaluation units available to prospective customers and value added resellers to further position itself as an IP surveillance vendor.
Among the resources released are a free 36-inch by 24-inch IP Surveillance 101 poster, bandwidth and storage calculators, an interactive floor planner to help determine where cameras should be placed for optimal video surveillance coverage, and 30-day evaluation units for qualified users and partners.
The interactive product selector tool asks the user questions to help identify and suggest the right D-Link IP camera for their business security, and the company also offers up a competitive product comparison tool to authorized resellers.
"The primary reason for making these tools available is to give our partners every opportunity to be successful in their sales efforts and expanding into new markets. As cameras move from analog to network, IP engineers and integrators will hear more and more about them," Vance Kozik, D-Link’s director of product marketing for IP surveillance, told eWEEK. "While it is just another end point on a network, cameras have a number of unfamiliar attributes that need to be considered for a successful deployment."
Kozik noted that the company would continue to add even more tools to ensure successful deployments for their partners.
The surveillance floor planner (SFP) is an online tool designed to simplify and improve the design process of surveillance projects by visualizing camera placement and coverage on floor plans.
After selecting a D-Link camera, users can drag and rotate it to a proper position on the floor plan and can get the optimal camera field of view by adjusting camera lens and installation settings.
Designed to help customers understand the performance of D-Link’s business products and the potential impact on their business network prior to purchase, the 30-day evaluation program allows customers to apply online to receive products for integrating into their network environments for testing.
In addition, a Web-based bandwidth and storage tool can be used for calculating the bandwidth and storage capacity for surveillance projects.
"The primary challenge in selling IP surveillance products is understanding the technology," Kozik said. "Surveillance end points can be a tricky conversation and deployment can be daunting if there is a lack of familiarity with VMS software and camera location strategies. Thus, these sales tools, along with both pre- and post-sales support and services, help prepare channel partners for selling and implementation success."
The company currently has 30 business-class IP camera models and three network video recorders along with outdoor enclosures and video management software (VMS) options.
The video solutions can also be combined with D-Link’s range of power over Ethernet (PoE)-enabled managed or smart switches, wireless access points (APs) and storage products.
"Competition will continue to drive product prices down, making the technology affordable for more and smaller companies," Kozik said. "At this point, service costs are starting to dwarf product costs, so smart IT networking integrators will quickly add this to their portfolio, much like they did with IP phones in the past."
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